The Heart of Ice

Chapter 3

Davina

"How could you have been so stupid?" My father yells at Austin, just having struck him across the face. Tears drip from his chin, onto the teddy bear my mom bought him on his second birthday. He always clung to it when he was scared.

"You could've died! Not only that-" He pauses, gesturing to me. "You took your sister on the ice with you! It's going to cost me a fortune to pay off the medical bills!"

My mother stands in the corner of our living room, her warm hands holding me back from the nightmare in front of me. Austin screams at the top of his lungs as my father strikes him across the face again, sending a series of curses his way. "You stupid, vile boy!"

"I'm sorry, daddy! I'm sorry. Please, stop it!" Austin screams some more. "I won't do it again. I promise!"

I turn, facing my mother, begging her to make my father stop. But she only stared at me, tears in her eyes, assuring me that there was nothing she could do. Even at such a young age, I knew she could've done something. There was always something, right?

"This family is going to be the death of me, I swear it." He spits, storming up the stairs. Immediately, I set myself free from my mother's grip, racing over to my brother. He was bleeding from the scar on the side of his face, a reminder from my father, meaning 'don't do it again.'

I pull him into my arms, and his cries worsen. I felt my heart breaking every time a tear of his landed on my shirt. "I'm sorry, Vina. I didn't mean to fall through the ice," he speaks in a hushed tone. "I just wanted to show you something beautiful . . ."

I tried to assure him that I knew his intentions were good, but every time I tried, it would only make him scream and cry harder-until he found it hard to breathe. "I just wanted to have fun . . ."

My mother rushes upstairs, behind my father, screaming at him. The gesture caused him to clench his beer bottle before throwing it towards the wall, a chilling smash echoing throughout our stairwell. "It wouldn't have happened if you didn't put such ridiculous stories into the boy's head!"

My mother backs away from him as he gets closer to her, and I turn away from them both, burying my head into Austin's hair. It's soft and smells of Autumn leaves.

"Don't touch me," She yells at him. "Don't you dare lay a finger on me. Not in front of the children."

I wish I had a shooting star. I wish I had a shooting star. I wish I had a shooting star, but I didn't.

Calum places a sympathetic hand on my back, the castle gates extending before us. Practically the entire Kingdom has followed me here, probably hoping to get a glimpse of their absent King. However, my main focus for now has been the castle itself. It looks completely different up close than what I pictured from afar. The dire atmosphere is covered in a white blanket, sparkling under the sun. It also smells of pine with a dash of cinnamon, giving the large building almost a welcoming feeling.

My gaze follows the footprints in the snow, caused by the royal guards leading us, all the way to the grand staircase. On the left side, servants line up, necessities I'm sure they're going to give me in their hands; It includes a few clothing items and shoes, along with hygiene supplies. On the right side, the remaining royal guards stand with the cooks, garden workers, and what I'm assuming is a Librarian, judging by the amount of books in her hands. At least I'll never be bored, I think.

Calum leans over to me, placing a secretive hand over his mouth. "I've made sure that the castle provided everything you needed-but if I've missed anything, feel free to let me or one of the servants know." With that, I nod awkwardly. My brother-you missed my brother, I want to say, but I don't. I can't even begin to describe the guilt I feel for leaving him the way I did, with our treacherous father. He was never good at handling his feelings by himself, for they were always too much. But I was always there to help him and guide him through it, just as he was there for me. I don't know how we'll both manage now, going days at a time without seeing each other. Who knows when he'll be able to start visiting?